


Green Arrow's final plan

by Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: BAMF Thea Queen, Character Death, F/M, Not Canon Compliant, Not for NTA fans, Not for OTA fans, Revenge, not for Olicity fans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28288722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen/pseuds/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen
Summary: After Oliver dies in Slabside, the people closest to him follow a plan left to them by him in order to avenge his death and get revenge on those who have wronged him.
Relationships: Barry Allen & Cisco Ramon & Caitlin Snow, Roy Harper/Thea Queen, William Clayton & Roy Harper, William Clayton & Thea Queen
Comments: 32
Kudos: 20





	1. Visitors

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Phillipe363](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phillipe363/gifts).



> A little something that’s been going around in my head since I read Phillipe363’s story ‘Father and son hooded legacy’, which is a great read. This won’t be a long story, likely only two or three chapters. 
> 
> In this story, Oliver died in 7x01 when he was attacked in the shower.
> 
> This is not for Olicity, OTA or NTA fans. Any whining about that will just be laughed at and deleted, so turn around and go read something you’ll actually enjoy.

Argus Safe house

Night

William Clayton was in his room at the new Argus safe house John Diggle had provided for him and Felicity. He was absently reading a book but he really couldn’t tell you what it was about. He was just numb right now; he really didn’t care about anything right now.

His father had died two days ago in prison, ambushed by men sent by Ricardo Diaz while taking a shower. Diaz had been busy, trying to kill William and Felicity. Felicity had allowed him to get away while Diaz had shot her in the stomach. Only the Argus operatives stationed nearby had prevented Diaz from finishing her off and coming after him. Felicity was currently recovering at an Argus medical facility and would be joining him soon.

“Good book?”

William jumped at the sound of the expected voice, dropping the book. Roy Harper stood in the doorway, dressed in his Arsenal suit sans hood and mask.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Roy apologized.

“Roy? What are you doing here?” William asked surprised.

“I’m here to get you out of here. Come on, it’s not safe for you here,” Roy said as he gestured out the door. “Let’s go, we don’t have much time.”

“I don’t understand, what’s going on?” William asked confused.

“Your Dad, he left instructions for me and a few others,” Roy explained and William stiffened. “I’m sorry we couldn’t save him. We were planning a breakout but Diaz had other plans.”

“What instructions?” William asked lowly.

“In the event that Diaz found you, he wanted you somewhere safe with people who could protect you. If Diaz found you with Argus once, he’ll do it again, Oliver’s words. Come on, we need to regroup,” Roy said, again gesturing towards the door.

“What about Felicity? Won’t she be worried if I’m not here?” William asked and Roy was silent for a moment.

“Felicity isn’t the women you think she is,” Roy said finally, pulling out a cell phone. “Tell me, how much do you know about what went down between your parents when Damien Darhk kidnapped you?”

“Not much, just that Dad sent my mom and me into hiding afterwards,” William said, not seeing how it related to Felicity.

“That’s only the end of the story William. The full story is a lot more complicated. When your dad found out about you, your mom, she didn’t know what kind of life he led, what kind of person your dad was. Until she was sure he could be trusted, she gave him a condition: he could see you as long as he didn’t tell anyone about you, including Felicity. Felicity didn’t take that well when she found out,” Roy said as he held the phone out so William could see the screen. “What Felicity didn’t know was that Oliver had cameras In the Loft and in the lair, recording everything. Here’s what happened in the loft just after your dad recorded a video message you were supposed to get on your eighteenth birthday.”

Confused, William looked down at the gone. It showed his father sitting at a table with Felicity, in a wheelchair, sitting a few feet away.

_"How much of that did you hear?" his dad asked._

_"Enough," Felicity said as he sighed. "Oliver, we need to talk."_

_"About a number of things, I suspect," his dad said tiredly._

_"Let's start with," Felicity lifted her hand and took off her engagement ring, putting it on the table as Oliver watched, looking physically pained. "I can't do this. When your son was in danger, I had to table what I was feeling about everything, but now that I've had some space, I realize I need space."_

_"Felicity-" his dad started._

_"I know the position Samantha put you in, I know it was an impossible decision, but you were right, "Felicity said to him. “You should have told me. Marriage is about inclusion. It's about leaning on your partner when things get complicated. I don't think that you know how to do that."_

_"I'm-I'm trying," Oliver tried to defend himself._

_"And now you're sending William away, and I understand why," Felicity said. "You know that I do, but once again, you have left me out of the decision."_

Roy stopped the video, allowing William to process what he had seen.

William just stared, shocked as he processed this. Felicity had wanted input into his life when she had never even met him. Worse, she made it out like his dad didn’t trust her when he was being blackmailed. She had left his dad right after he sent him away, thinking they might never see each other again. Sure, he could understand her being upset, but it all just seemed so…selfish. 

“Your dad made sure we would get all the footage from the lair and the loft after he was arrested,” Roy said and William looked up at him. “Your Aunt Thea and I spent weeks combing through all the footage. Felicity is not what she pretends to be, none of them are. They can’t be trusted. We have a minute before Argus realizes the operatives here are taking a little nap. You can come with me or you can stay here and wait for Felicity. What’s it gonna be William?”

William was silent as he weighed his options. If what Roy was saying was true, and the video certainly supported that, then his father hadn’t trusted Felicity and Diggle one hundred percent to protect him. And he could see why. After a moment, William jumped off his bed.

“Let’s go,” William said.

Argus medical facility

Later

Felicity was asleep, or she was. The pain in her gut would wake her up everyone few hours if she moved wrong. As she opened her eyes, she saw that she wasn’t alone.

“Thea,” Felicity gasped as she saw her sister in law standing right in front of her.

“Felicity,” Thea said quietly.

Felicity had been around Oliver long to enough to know when a member of the Queen family spoke calmly; it meant that they were simmering in rage on the inside. And she had a good feeling she knew why.

“I’m sorry about Oliver,” Felicity said.

“No you’re not,” Felicity was taken back with the pure venom in Thea’s voice as she glared at her. “The days of me falling for your act are over.”

“What are you talking about?” Felicity said, confused as to why Thea was acting this way.

“Ollie was a lot of things. Stupid was never one of them, despite what you may think. He had cameras in both lairs and in the loft. He had the footage sent to what he called a black box. After he was arrested, he had Lyla sent it to Roy and I. We saw everything. How you, John and _your_ recruits claim to have Oliver’s back but tear him down and judge him for everything,” Thea said and Felicity could see the fury in her eyes. “I’m ashamed to say that I did the same thing once, because I fell for the crap you and John and Laurel put in my head. I’m disgusted with myself, as disgusted as I am with all of you. You didn’t deserve my brother. You hold yourself up as this righteous, lovable person. But the truth Felicity is that you’re a selfish, controlling bitch who only cares about what she wants. What my brother wanted be damned if he didn’t agree with you.”

“That’s not fair,” Felicity started.

“Life’s not fair Felicity. Go whine to someone who cares,” Thea said hotly.

“Did you just come here to tell me what a horrible person you think I am?” Felicity asked angrily.

“No. I came to tell you that you will never see William again,” Thea said and Felicity started. “My brother left instructions for me and Roy. In the event of his death, he wanted Roy and me to get William as far from you and Diggle as possible until Diaz was dealt with. I guess he didn’t trust you with his son without him around.”

“And you think you two can protect him from Diaz any better than Argus?” Felicity demanded.

“Who said it was just us?” Thea asked pointedly and Felicity stared. “Ollie left instructions for a lot of people he trusted before he turned himself in. I guess that Vertigo knocked some sense into him after all.”

Suddenly, Felicity’s phone, on the table beside her bed, started ringing. Before Felicity could even think of picking it up, Thea had snatched it off the table and answered it.

“Hey John, what’s up?” Thea said casually.

“Thea?” Diggle said surprised.

“Let me guess, William isn’t at the safe house?” Thea said knowingly.

“You know where he is,” Diggle realized.

“Safe. That’s all you need to know,” Thea assured him.

“I’m sorry about Oliver,” Diggle said after a moment and Thea rolled her eyes.

“You know, I would actually believe that if you hadn’t blamed him for your mistakes and used Samantha’s death for an ego boost,” Thea said and Diggle was stunned into silence. “You never deserved him, none of you did. And once Diaz is in the ground, I’m coming for all of you.”

“Thea-” Diggle started but Thea had already ended the call.

“Does that include me?” Felicity asked as Thea turned back to her.

“No,” Thea said, surprising Felicity. “Because, for all you’ve done, you never stooped as low as the rest of them. But if you get in our way, we will show you as much mercy as the rest of them.”

“Thea, this isn’t you,” Felicity pleaded.

“The girl you knew died with her brother. I couldn’t save him. What I can do is make sure he didn’t die for nothing. I will make sure everyone who had something to do with Ollie’s death pays for what they’ve done. Don’t bother looking for William. If he wants to see you after we show him the footage, we’ll find you. But I wouldn’t bet on it.”

Thea then walked out, leaving Felicity alone, feeling as though she had lost everything.


	2. Allegiances revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver's allies begin setting Oliver's plan in motion as Diggle learns of a stunning betrayal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, was not expecting such a positive response to the story. Here’s the next chapter. 
> 
> This chapter is more to set up where certain things stand for our characters but it is important for the next chapter. Enjoy.

Unspecified Location  
Night

“Where are we?” William asked curiously as Roy led him inside a rather spacious house.

“Used to be a storage facility for Star Labs. Your dad is – was friends with the owner. Back when Chase was running around Star City, your dad had this created in case he ever needed to go on the run should his identity be compromised. We’ve been using it as our base for the last few months,” Roy explained.

“‘We’ isn’t just you and my Aunt Thea, is it?” William asked and Roy nodded.

“Thea said you were smart. No, it’s not just us. Before he turned himself in, your dad left contingency plans in place for Diaz and Star City. He knew he couldn’t trust his ‘team’, so he reached out to people he actually trusted,” Roy explained.

“Unfortunately, that’s a very short list these days.”

William jumped, not even having realized they had walked in to what resembled a longue. Thea was looking at a computer, frowning before she looked up at William. William rushed forward and she knelt down, wrapping him in a hug.

“I’m so sorry,” Thea said emotionally as she stroked the back of his head.

William didn’t say anything, simply buried his face in his shoulder as he allowed himself to finally break down as he hadn’t been able to for the past few days. Roy watched them for a few moments before retreating from the room.

Roy found company in the kitchen, a man eating a sandwich that he put down as he Roy.

“You get in and out okay?” Slade Wilson asked and Roy nodded.

“Piece of cake. Argus standards have really gone down since Waller kicked the bucket,” Roy noted.

“Or Ms. Michaels knew you’d come for the boy,” Slade pointed out and Roy nodded, conceding the possibility.

“Maybe. How’d things go on your end?” Roy asked.

“Ms. Michaels left the package at the drop off zone. I delivered it to your friends. Are we sure we can trust them?” Slade inquired.

“Oliver trusted them. That’s good enough for me,” Roy said simply. “Hopefully, they can find something to lead us to the Longbow Hunters…and Diaz.” 

Star Labs  
Same time

“This is…wow,” Cisco muttered as he examined the device Barry had given him as the two of them and Caitlin stood in the cortex. “I have never seen anything like this before.” 

“It was used to short circuit the Argus level security system in the safe house Felicity and William were in. New trick for someone like Diaz,” Barry noted.

“Apparently he has new friends,” Cisco muttered.

“Can you use it to track Diaz? Because if he used it once, chances are he or his associates will use it again,” Barry said and Cisco was silent for a moment.

“I can create something to pick up the frequency this thing puts out when activated. But Barry…what are you gonna do if you find Diaz?” Cisco finally asked as he looked up at Barry.

“He had my friend killed Cisco. What would you do if it had been me?” Barry challenged.

“I’d put him in the ground,” Cisco admitted after a moment.

“Exactly. So why should I do any less for Oliver?” Barry asked hotly and Cisco held up his hands in surrender.

“Okay, point made. I just wanna know what I’m signing up for. Whatever move you wanna make, I’ve got your back buddy,” Cisco promised.

“Thanks. I’m gonna go get some sleep, wake me if you get anything,” Barry said before walking off.

Walking up into the longue, Barry walked over to the couch with a few blankets on it, where he had been sleeping for the last few months.

Shortly after Oliver had been sent to Slabside, he had received a package from Lyla. It had contained a message from Oliver, asking him to meet at the old Star Labs facility they had made into a safe house in a few weeks. Barry had gone to the safe house, meeting Thea, Roy, Slade and a few others who had been asked to meet there. Oliver had left them one last mission while he was in prison: taking down Diaz and the Longbow Hunters. They had been trying to track them down ever since.

Like Roy and Thea, Barry had also been witness to the footage from the lairs and the loft where Oliver had once lived. To say he was horrified and outraged by Oliver’s treatment by the so called ‘Team Arrow’ was an understatement. But what was worse was that Barry had noticed uncomfortable similarities to their treatment of Oliver to his own treatment of Cisco and Caitlin. It had been a difficult pill to swallow.

Tracing back the origin of it all to his relationship with Iris had not been any easier, confirmed when Cisco and Caitlin had said he started pulling away from them when he got together with Iris. He had told Iris he needed space to figure out who he was, which she had not taken well. She had told him not to come back if he walked out that door, and he hasn’t. 

He hadn’t been happy with Iris, he realized. He only thought he was. He was considering filing for divorce or annulment, since they had been legally separated for four months now. But that was a train of thought that could wait until this was all over.

Barry sat down on the couch, hoping tomorrow would give them all the answers they needed. Barry then laid down and closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep. 

Argus base  
Same time

Lyla Michaels was doing some paperwork in her office when her husband barged in.

“Why’d you do it?” Diggle demanded angrily.

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” Lyla said without looking up.

“I talked to the Argus agents who were posted at the safe house we had William at. They said you had over half the team sent on other assignments. And the technicians we had working on the device Diaz used to knock out the security system at the safe house said you had the device moved. Where is it?” Diggle demanded angrily.

“Safe. Just like William,” Lyla said as she finally looked up at her husband.

“You were in on this. Why? When?” Diggle asked, not understanding.

“Since before Oliver turned himself in,” Lyla revealed, to Diggle’s shock. “Did you know that Oliver had cameras in the lair, recording everything? When he made the decision to make a deal with Agent Watson, he showed me your argument before you quit. You would actually let thousands die in order to save a mass murderer.”

“Lyla-” Diggle started but she cut him off.

“When I saw that, I realized that the man I loved, the man I had served with…he was gone. He’d been gone for a long time,” Lyla said and it pained Diggle to see the grief on her face. “I don’t know you. I don’t want to know you. And I don’t want you around my son.”

Lyla opened her drawer and pulled out a stack of paper. She put them in front of Diggle and he paled as he saw that they were divorce papers.

“I had those drawn up a few months ago. I knew that something was about to come to a head, I wanted to be prepared,” Lyla said as Diggle numbly took the papers. “You can’t fight this John. You and Mr. Holt are both fired. And some parting advice: run. Thea meant her promise to come after you. Trust me; I’ve gotten to her quiet well over the few months.”

“Thea’s not a murderer,” Diggle protested and Lyla smiled tightly.

“She blames you and your former team for the death of the most important person in her life. Trust me when I say you have no idea what she’s capable of.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can honestly see the Oliver from season one having a safe house if he needed to go on the run if someone like Prometheus had known his identity. 
> 
> Considering that Barry nearly killed the time remnant of Thawne in season two, I can see Barry wanting to kill Diaz for Oliver.
> 
> My head canon is that Lyla only stays with Diggle for their son/daughter, considering she has more Oliver’s perspective on things and I can’t see her staying with someone with Diggle’s black and white views. And I really can’t see her staying with him if she knew what Diggle had said in his argument with Oliver in 6x17.


	3. Battle on a train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver's allies go after Diaz and The Longbow Hunters for a final showdown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year’s Eve everyone.
> 
> So, I was wrong when I said this story would have three chapters. It will have one more chapter after this. For now, please enjoy my final post of 2020.

Star Labs  
Morning

Barry was woken up by someone gently shaking his shoulder and calling his name. Opening his eyes, he saw it was Caitlin. Sitting up, he saw that it was light outside.

“Tell me you guys didn’t let me sleep all night,” Barry said immediately.

“You told us not to wake you until we found anything. We have,” Caitlin said, getting Barry’s attention. 

Shortly after, Barry, Cisco and Caitlin stood in the cortex as the latter two presented their findings.

“Okay, so, with Lyla’s permission, I used the Argus satellite to track the frequency of the device Diaz used to knock out the safe house security over Star City. I tracked it to an off sight Argus facility,” Cisco explained.

“Diaz?” Barry asked but both shook their heads.

“No. The witness described a dark haired woman in her mid to late twenties. Likely one of the Longbow Hunters,” Caitlin explained. 

“She only stole thing: an ultra-high density renewable battery. One could power an entire town for years,” Cisco said and Barry frowned.

“According to Oliver’s friend Anatoly Knyazev, Diaz was working with the Longbow Hunters before they took Diaz down. We find them, we find Diaz,” Barry declared.

“Might be easier than you think,” Cisco said and Barry looked at him sharply. “Argus was able to track them to a warehouse they think the Longbow Hunters were using. They found a damaged hard drive. Lyla wants me to take a look at it.”

“Okay. I’ll head over and pick it up. There’s not a moment to waste,” Barry said as he turned and sped out of the cortex.

Undesignated location  
Afternoon

In the safe house, William was silent as he watched some of the footage from the lair, this time an incident where Felicity was making snide remarks to his dad following their break up.

A few feet away, Thea was watching him silently as Roy walked up beside her.

“You sure we should be letting him watch that?” Roy asked.

“He needs to see, just like we did,” Thea said simply and Roy shrugged.

“He’s your nephew,” Roy said simply. “We got something. Or I guess Cisco did.”

“What did he find?” Thea asked as she looked over at Roy sharply. 

“The Longbow Hunters stole a high tech battery this morning. Through a damaged hard drive, Cisco was able to find out that they are going to target a train with another energy weapon. It’s getting shipped out of Star City tonight,” Roy explained and Thea nodded, a steely took in her eyes.

“Then tonight, we end this,” Thea said darkly as she looked over at William. “Once and for all.”

Star Labs  
Late afternoon

Barry was putting on his suit, about to pull the cowl over his head when he heard two pairs of footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Caitlin dressed like Killer Frost and Cisco in his Vibe suit.

“Guys, no,” Barry said, knowing what they were thinking. “You know what’s gonna happen tonight. I don’t want you involved in this.”

“So it’s okay for you to get your hands dirty but not us?” Cisco challenged.

“This is personal guys. I’m not planning on letting Diaz or the Longbow Hunters come out of this alive. That is something I will have to live with. You guys shouldn’t have to,” Barry told them.

“You think we didn’t know what you were going to do? We always knew what you were planning the moment we heard Oliver was dead. And we’re with you Barry,” Caitlin told him.

“Face it Barry, you’re stuck with us,” Cisco said and Barry couldn’t help the chuckle that left him.

“Okay,” Barry said, realizing he wouldn’t be able to talk them out of this. “But you follow my lead.”

Star City  
Night

On a train headed out of Star City, Thea and Roy, who was dressed in his old Arsenal suit, dropped down into a train car. 

“Lyla, can you read?” Roy asked as he tapped the Comms piece in his suit.

“Loud and clear,” Lyla said as she monitored the situation back at Argus.

“Where’s the weapon?” Thea asked.

“The car above you. There are three heat signatures waiting there,” Lyla explained.

“Wait. There are three Longbow Hunters. So if there are three heat signatures, where’s Diaz?” Roy asked.

There was an explosion above them. Roy and Thea jumped back as a bearded man wielding a shield jumped down, smirking.

“I guess that answers that question,” Thea said as she and Roy each notched an arrow in their bows, taking aim at the man. 

The man lunged for them with his shield but the pair fired. He used his shield to deflect the arrows before trying to strike them with the shield. The pair jumped apart as the man sent a powerful kick towards Roy’s abdomen. Roy was sent flying into the wall as Thea tried to strike the man but he grabbed her by her neck and tossed her into the wall as well.

“Oliver Queen’s baby sister and protégé came looking for revenge huh? You should have brought back up,” the man smirked.

“Who says we didn’t?” Thea quipped.

Sensing movement behind him, the man whirled around, bringing his shield up just in time to stop a sword aiming for his head.

“Assumption is the mother of all failures,” Slade said before he pushed the man back. 

As Slade began fighting the man off, Thea and Roy picked up their bows and raced into the next car. As the door closed behind them, a dark flew out and hit the wall, mere inches from Thea’s head. It began let out some kind of gas and the couple began to cough as they stepped away from it. A dark haired woman wearing a red jacket and red tinted glasses stepped out from behind some crates.

“Hello there,” she smirked as she raised her hand, which had what resembled a wrist watch.

Another dart shot out, this one hitting the lock. The door opened and she quickly raced through. The door closed behind her before Roy or Thea could follow after her. And Diaz walked passed the door, smirking at them as he waved mockingly. But the pair had to stifle their anger at the moment to focus on the problem at hand.

“We could use some noise,” Roy said as he tapped the Comms piece in his suit.

Diaz was walking down the train with Silencer and Red when a loud screech pierced the air. Within seconds, all the glass on the cars shattered, including the one in the door of the car Thea and Roy were trapped in. The trio whirled around to see Sara Lance standing a few feet from them.

“Do you know who I am?” Sara asked Diaz, a blank look on her face.

“Should I?” Diaz asked bored.

“Five months ago, you killed my father. And now you’re gonna pay,” Sara said as she whirled her baton, Roy and Thea racing up behind her.

All the sound in the car suddenly went out, to the confusion of Sara, Roy and Thea. However, it was of little consequence as they rushed Diaz and the two Longbow Hunters.

A few cars back, Slade and Bear were continuing their battle. Bear tried to strike Slade with his shield, but Slade blocked with his sword. Slade then whirled around, elbowing Bear in the face. Bear stumbled back as Slade swung his sword towards him. Bear brought his shield up, blocking it just in time before Slade sent a kick towards the shield. The unexpected blow caused Bear to slam into the wall. 

A few cars ahead, it was a battle royal. Thea used her bow to block Silencer’s knife as Roy and Red exchanged blows. Meanwhile, Sara attempted to strike Diaz with her baton but Diaz dodged before pulling out a knife. He threw it at Sara, who dodged his strike. 

Silencer sent a flying kick towards Thea’s abdomen and Thea hit the wall, dazed. Silencer was about to follow up with another kick when suddenly, she was hit by two blue beams. The sound returned as she went flying, hitting the wall.

“That’s enough of that,” Cisco said as he lowered his arms.

Sensing the tide turning, Diaz did what he did best: made a move to escape. Pulling out a flamethrower, he let loose a stream of fire. Sara had to jump back as Diaz rushed out of the car. Sara tried to run after him but a dart from Red stopped her. Red had pushed Roy into the wall and fired a dart, which Sara knocked aside with her baton. Narrowing her eyes, the two rushed each other as Silencer got to her feet. She threw a knife at Cisco who barely jumped out of the way as Roy rushed forward, whirling his bow like an escirma stick. He tried to strike her with it but Silencer stopped him by grabbing the bow before delivering a jab to his jaw.

In the next car, Diaz was trying to make a break for it when he was suddenly hit by a small cyclone. He flew back, landing on his back. Sitting up, he saw The Flashing standing in front of him.

“The Flash,” Diaz said in surprise.

“Ricardo Diaz. I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Barry said icily.

Sneering, Diaz aimed the flamethrower and let out a burst of flames. Barry sped out of the way as, suddenly, an icy beam hit the flamethrower. Diaz dropped it, shocked that the weapon was now frozen solid. Killer Frost lowered her arm, smirking as Barry looked over at her.

“Go back inside and help the others. I’ll deal with him,” Barry said, his eyes growing cold as he glared at Diaz.

“You’re the boss,” Frost said as she headed over to the previous car. 

She had barely spoken before Barry sped over and grabbed Diaz. He slammed him against the wall and, at super speed, began delivering a series of punches faster than Diaz could respond.

Back inside, Roy was in trouble. Silencer had slammed him against the wall and was trying to bring her knife down on his chest. He had grabbed her arms, trying to push the knife away but he wasn’t having much success. Suddenly, Thea rushed in, striking Silencer across the face with her bow. This distracted Silencer long enough for Roy to elbow her in the abdomen followed up with a knee. Roy threw her away and she landed on the floor on her back. She got to her feet but was suddenly hit in the back by ice. She staggered before Thea pulled out her katana. Thea stabbed Silencer through the chest and Silencer gasped, coughing up blood before Thea yanked the blade out. Silencer then fell to her knees before the light left her eyes and she crumbled to the floor.

At the same time, Sara had finally managed to gain the upper hand against Red. She had put the assassin in a neck lock, her baton against her neck. And, like she had done so many times before, she twisted Red’s neck and a sickening crack was heard as the assassin’s neck was snapped. She dropped the body, breathing heavily as she felt some sort of satisfaction.

A few cars down, Slade sent a kick towards the shield, causing Bear to hit the wall roughly.

“You are skilled, but you rely too much on that shield and brute strength. That will only get you so far,” Slade told him.

Angrily, Bear rushed him but, with a well-placed strike from his sword, Slade managed to disarm him off his shield before rushing his chest through with his sword. Slade yanked his sword out and Bear’s lifeless body fell to the floor.

Barry grabbed Diaz and threw him to the floor. Although beaten and bloody, Diaz wasn’t going down without a fight. He pulled out a knife and threw it at Barry. However, Barry caught it at super speed and tossed the weapon behind him as he stalked over to Diaz. Diaz tried to slug him but Barry grabbed him arm and pulled him to his feet, slamming him against the side of the car.

“So what now, send me to prison? I’ll get out, I’ve been breaking out of prisons since I was a teenager,” Diaz sneered.

“Which is why you’re not going to prison,” Barry said coolly.

The others raced out into the car just in time to see Barry plunge his vibrating hand into Diaz’s chest. Diaz gasped as his heart was torn apart and Barry yanked his blood stained hand out. Barry led Diaz drop to the floor, dead as he stared down at his hand, a barrage of conflicting emotions running through him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Group fight scenes are difficult, so I hope I did okay.
> 
> Sara being part of the team to take down Diaz was my attempt at bringing the true Sara back. Legends did her so dirty, how she doesn’t even seem to care that her father died is despicable on the part of the writers. 
> 
> I went back and forth on who should be the one to kill Diaz, but ultimately, I chose Barry because it was just much more impactful for someone like him to do the deed. And it’s also to set up a scene between him and Joe next chapter as well.


	4. Tying up loose ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thea, Sara, Roy, Slade, and Lyla enact Oliver's final plan to take down those responsible for Oliver's imprisonment and death. Barry and Joe have an intense conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s the final chapter. Took longer than I thought, but it’s here. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Star Labs, a few days later  
Morning

“This should do the trick,” Cisco said, handing Sara a small device as they, Barry, and Caitlin stood in the cortex. “Curtis has nothing on me.”

“Let’s hope so,” Sara said, examining the device before she looked over at Barry. “You sure you don’t want in on tonight? We could use you.”

“I’m sure. I won’t stop you, but I won’t help you either,” Barry said with certainty and Sara nodded after a moment.

“I get it. Still, thank you for all your help. We couldn’t have stopped Diaz without you three,” Sara paused. "Are you okay after..."

“After I killed Diaz?” Barry said bluntly before sighing. “I don’t regret what I did; just that it had to be done.”

“Ollie told me once that taking a life changes you. But what I realized after I took a life for the first time is that you get to decide how it changes you,” Sara said and it was silent for a few moments. “I need to get going. Take care of yourselves.” 

“You to,” Caitlin said kindly as Sara walked out.

“Are you okay?” Cisco asked Barry once Sara was gone.

“I don’t feel exactly good about what I did…but like I said, I don’t regret it. Just that it was necessary,” Barry said with a sigh. 

“Was it though?”

The trio looked towards the doorway at the sound of the voice. Joe stood in the doorway, looking like he didn’t know where to start.

Barry had been expecting either him or Iris, to be honest. This morning, news had broken that Diaz had been found dead. The autopsy had revealed he had died of his heart inexplicably being shredded to pieces. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist for someone in the know to figure out a speedster had been involved.

“Cait, Cisco, can you guys give us a moment?” Barry asked.

The pair exchanged uneasy looks but left Joe and Barry alone. It was silent for a few moments before Joe spoke.

“I was hoping it wasn’t you. That we had another evil speedster on the loose. But it was you, you killed him,” Joe said, a dawning look of horror on his face. “Why?”

“Why? You’re honestly asking me that? You wanted to kill Harry just for being indirectly involved in Iris getting hurt and you can’t see why I killed Diaz?” Barry said incredulously. “He had Oliver killed Joe. No prison was gonna hold him for long, sooner or later he would have weaseled his way out, he’s done it his entire life. I did what I had to do.”

“No, you did what you wanted to do. This wasn’t about justice or morality, this was about revenge,” Joe accused.

“Maybe it was,” Barry acknowledged. “So what? You honestly think the world is better off with Ricardo Diaz in it?”

“That’s not the point! Bar, this is how Queen does things. It’s not you, its him,” Joe almost pleaded with Barry.

“And my way let Oliver die,” Barry said bluntly, taking Joe back. “Look at where doing things someone else’s way got Oliver: Dead in prison, a place he did not deserve to be! If being a hero means that I let my friends die in prison, then I want no part of it anymore. I’m not gonna go on a killing spree Joe, but I’m not gonna value some sense of self-righteousness over protecting people! Not anymore.”

“Queen did not deserve to die the way he did, the system isn’t perfect, but it’s there for a reason Bar. This isn’t you, its him,” Joe once again tried getting through to Barry.

“No, this is me. Because when I killed Diaz, I finally realized that Oliver was right. If I’m not willing to make the hard calls, if I value some sort of moral high ground over protecting the people in my city, then I’m not the hero this city deserves. And I never will be,” Barry said with conviction. “I love you Joe…but I have to be my own man. I’m not you or Oliver. I’ll do what I think is right, no matter the cost. If you can’t accept that…you know where the door is.”

Barry then walked out, leaving Joe staring after him, wondering what had happened to Barry.

Later, Barry stood on the balcony, overlooking the city when Caitlin walked up next to him.

“Are you okay? It sounded like things got pretty intense between you and Joe earlier,” Caitlin said in concern.

“He and I just have a difference of opinion on what being a hero means. I don’t think he’ll be coming around for a while. Until Ralph gets back from wherever he is, looks like it’s just gonna be you, me and Cisco,” Barry said wistfully.

“Kind of how this whole thing started, with the three of us. Feels right that its going back to that,” Caitlin noted and Barry smiled slightly.

“Yeah, I guess it does. You know any good divorce lawyers?” Barry asked, taking Caitlin back.

“You’re thinking about getting a divorce?”

“Really seems like the only option. Iris told me not to come back and she hasn’t come to see me or tried to contact me in any way in months. I think it’s safe to say we’re not gonna work this out,” Barry said with a sigh.

“I never expected this,” Caitlin said after a moment, as Barry divorcing Iris had seemed as likely as Zoom turning good.

“Me either. When I think of my actions over the last few years…it’s like it was someone else,” Barry said before looking over at her, remorse in his eyes. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you with Killer Frost. I should’ve been.”

“Barry, it’s okay,” Caitlin said immediately but Barry shook his head.

“No, it’s not. You are my best friend; you’ve always been there for me, no matter what was going on with you. I should have been there for you, but I was too caught up in myself. But I will never abandon you again, I promise,” Barry said fiercely.

Star City  
Night

At the FBI headquarters, Samandra Watson was packing up to go home when the lights suddenly went out. Her hair standing on end, Watson pulled her gun out of its holster as she looked around, sensing someone was there but not seeing them. 

“Samandra Watson.”

Watson whirled around at the sound of the voice as an arrow flew out. The arrow hit the gun in her hand, knocking it aside as Thea Queen stepped out of the shadows.

“You have failed this city,” Thea sneered.

“Taking up your big brother’s mantle of playing vigilante Ms. Queen?” Watson asked blankly.

“No, I’m just taking out the trash poisoning this city,” Thea said coolly.

“I’m doing my job,” Watson said defensively.

“Cut the crap, I know everything. Before he turned himself in, Ollie wanted to know why you were so hell-bent on bringing him down. You covered your tracks, but not well enough. It took Ollie a few days to uncover your double life. It’s actually funny, FBI agent by day, crime lord by night,” Thea said and Watson just stared at her blankly. “Best Ollie could tell, you turned crime lord about three years ago, kept a low profile in order to avoid detection by the Green Arrow and his team. When that doctored photo of Ollie went viral, you saw the chance to take the Green Arrow off the board. You wanted Diaz taken out so you could get rid of him, take control of all organized crime in the city. It was actually a pretty good plan.”

“It’s a pretty good story. Such a shame you don’t have any proof,” Watson said mockingly.

“Except that Argus has been building a case against you for months,” Thea said, taking Watson back before pulling out a device that resembled a ball. “This is a sniffer; it’s been taking all the information off your computer and sending it to Argus since I walked through the door. You may be smart, but you were arrogant enough to leave enough incriminating evidence on your computer for Argus to get you. A team is going to be here in less than a minute to apprehend you. They also have the building surrounded. There is no way you get out of this. You may have connections at the FBI, but Argus is a little above your paygrade.” 

Thea then reached down, picking up the gun and tossing it to Watson. Watson caught it on instinct, wondering what Thea was playing at.

“You have two choices. You can let them take you; spend the rest of your life in an Argus prison. Or you can take the coward’s way out. Either way, you’ve lost,” Thea told her as she pocketed the sniffer.

Thea turned and walked out of the room. As she met the Argus operatives outside; they all heard the sound of a gun going off inside Watson’s office. 

Star City Police Department  
Same time

Dinah Drake was packing up for the night when a loud sonic screech pierced the air. Dinah was forced to cover her ears as the glass shattered all around her. Dinah whirled around to see Sara standing a few feet behind her, her baton in hand.

“Hello Dinah,” Sara greeted coolly.

“Let me guess, you’re here to make me pay for my ‘sins’ against Oliver?” Dinah said sarcastically and Sara shrugged.

“Ollie, my father, my sister, I’m not particular,” Sara said causally. 

“I never did anything to your father,” Dinah denied.

Sara’s eyes were suddenly filled with rage and she rushed forward. Dinah barely dodged as Sara attempted to strike her with her baton, having to bend backwards to do so. However, Sara swept her feet out from under her with a well-placed kick. Dinah fell to the floor as Sara put her baton to Dinah’s throat.

“What do you call beating up a middle aged man with a heart condition?” Sara snarled angrily. “Tell me, what’s it like to attack someone not even trying to fight back and then play the victim?”

“Your father was protecting a murderer,” Dinah snapped.

“Then what is Vincent Sobel? Because guess what, he killed a lot more people than Black Siren,” Sara snapped, refusing to call her sister’s Doppelganger Laurel. “And he was okay with that, called them ‘collateral damage’. He lied to you, over and over again about helping you stop Diaz and Cayden James, but he was just using you. But I guess you don’t have a problem with people using you as long as you can spread your legs for them.”

Angrily, Dinah tried to use her Cry but, to her shock, nothing happened.

“Like my new bracelet?” Sara asked as she held her hand out, showing it off. “Cisco made it from the device I used when I first came back. Not only is it more powerful and focused, it puts out a pulse that cancels out your Cry.”

Angrily, Dinah shoved Sara’s baton aside and tried to attack Sara. Within seconds, Sara had Dinah on her knees as she held her baton against Dinah’s throat.

“You are a hypocrite Dinah,” Sara sneered into Dinah’s ear. “You betrayed Ollie, you attacked my father, and you decoyed my sister’s legacy as the Black Canary as you left a wave of destruction and chaos behind. All in the name of a mass murderer. Ollie probably could have stopped Diaz a lot sooner if he hadn’t had to go it alone with just Diggle and Felicity. But I guess your ego was more important. And my father paid the price. But no one will ever pay the price for your ego again!” 

With a twist, a sickening crack was heard as Dinah’s neck was snapped. Sara dropped her body to the floor as she got to her feet, breathing heavily as she stared down at Dinah’s body. Then, she walked out of the precinct. 

Star City  
Same time

Laurel Lance was walking into her apartment when she froze. Something was off, someone was here, Laurel realized. 

Before she could even think of how to respond, something shot out at her. Before she could even realize what happened, a metal collar, far more advance than the one Diaz had used, was around her neck and she was surrounded by Argus agents, all aiming assault rifles t her. Laurel tried to use her Cry but, to her shock, it didn’t work.

“A friend of ours from Star Labs worked up that little collar around your neck,” Lyla said as she walked out from around the corner. “You won’t be using that scream of yours anytime soon.”

“What are you doing, I’m on your side?” Laurel hissed.

“The only person whose side you’re on is your own. The grave of Dinah Laurel Lance was exhumed yesterday afternoon. DNA tests and dental records were able to prove that the body was that of the real Laurel Lance,” Lyla said and Laurel had paled. “I hope you’ve enjoyed living the life of our Laurel for the past seven months. Because you’re going to spend the rest of your life in an Argus prison.” 

The Glades  
Same time

In Rene Ramirez’s apartment, Rene was on the floor, beaten to a bloody pulp. Standing over him was Roy Harper, staring down at him blankly.

“If you’re gonna kill me, just get on with it man,” Rene said pitifully from the floor.

“I’m not going to kill you Rene,” Roy said as he knelt down to the floor as Rene could see him clearly. “Don’t get me wrong, I hate you. Oliver helped you get your daughter back, helped you get the thing you wanted most in the world, and you turned around and betrayed him. But I realize that a lot of your actions were driven by a desperation to get your daughter back and then to protect her. So you get to live. But, you get to see the rest of your team destroyed. By now, Dinah Drake is dead and Curtis Holt is being dragged to an Argus Prison for his assistance in helping Felicity hack a Homeland Security drone. You get to live to see the consequences of your actions. And if you ever step out of line, even a little bit, I will come back here to finish what I started. Count on it.”

Roy then stood up and walked out, leaving Rene there to wallow.

Star City  
Same time

In his now empty apartment, Diggle was sitting on the couch, taking a drink of a beer when he felt a presence behind him.

“How the mighty have fallen,” Slade said mockingly as he walked out of the shadows, disgust in his eye. “You should have run when you had the chance.”

“I thought of it. Then I realized I had nowhere to run to,” Diggle said as he put the drink down and got to his feet. “So they sent you?”

“I volunteered. You see, I thought you would be a better brother to Oliver than I had been. But I realized upon viewing that footage that you are not a brother to him. You have turned your back on him again and again, blamed him for all your problems, and then you expect him to hold your hand,” Slade said, his voice rising in volume as he spoke.

“At least I didn’t murder his mother,” Diggle shot back.

“I was under the influence of the Mirakuru! What is your excuse?!” Slade snarled.

Without waiting for a response, Slade pulled out a knife and, before Diggle could even move, had stabbed the other man in the side. Diggle gasped as Slade twisted the knife before pulling the blade out. Diggle dropped to his side, holding the gushing wound before Slade made a cut along his neck. This cut was very precise, it wouldn’t kill Diggle right away, but it would cut off his ablity to speak. He could not call for help, he could only bleed out helplessly, watching as Slade walked out, his work done.

Argus medical facility, next day  
Morning

Felicity was lying in bed, staring up at the wall blankly when she heard someone enter the room. Looking up, she saw it was Lyla.

“Hey,” Felicity said before noticing the look on Lyla’s face. “What’s with the face?”

“I let you go after Cayden James as a favor to my husband. Earlier this morning, his body was discovered in his apartment, two days after I left him,” Lyla said and Felicity had a look of shock and horror on her face. “Once you are recovered, you will stand trial for your actions, as well as the actions Cayden James committed because you let him out of Argus custody. Curtis Holt and Alena Whitlock will stand trial with you as accomplices. The days of you avoiding the consequences of your actions are over. I am letting you know this as a cutesy due to our past friendship. Nothing more. You are my prisoner now. Do you understand?”

“Perfectly,” Felicity muttered, realizing her life was over. “It’s crystal clear.”

The safe house  
Same time

“Thank you both for your help; we could not have done this without you,” Thea said as she and Roy stood facing Sara and Slade.

“I should be the one thanking you. It was your plan to stop Diaz and take down those,” Sara stopped, not wanting to go there. “Let’s just consider it even.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Thea said with a smile before it turned into a frown as she looked at Slade. “Slade.”

“You hate me for what I did to your mother,” Slade stated and Thea did not deny it. “As you should. But I hope that us working together to avenge Oliver has allowed me to make amends.”

“I will never forget what you did…but I do forgive you,” Thea said after a moment and he nodded in understanding.

“I suppose that’s more than I deserve. Take care of William,” Slade said before he turned and walked off.

“If you two ever need me, I’m just a call away,” Sara said as she and Thea hugged.

“That goes both ways,” Roy said as Sara let go of Thea and gave him a hug as well.

Sara nodded before following after Slade, leaving the couple alone.

“So…what now?” Roy asked.

Later, they found William in the living room, eying Roy’s bow thoughtfully. 

“Oliver ever teach you how to shoot?” Roy asked, starting William.

“No. I guess I was too busy being angry and then there was him retiring and Cayden James and Diaz…there was just never enough time,” William said quietly.

“You wanna learn?” Roy asked after a moment.

William looked at the bow for a long moment before giving a hesitant nod. Roy picked up the bow and pulled an arrow out of his quiver nearby before dragging William over to a bullseye they had been using for target practice. As Roy showed William how to shoot, Thea let a soft smile cross her face. Ollie was gone, but all he fought for wasn’t in vain. It would live on in all those who carried on his mission and those he had loved. This she was certain of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Joe as Barry’s dad, but in other areas, he does annoy me. The biggest being his stance on Oliver. He repeatedly calls Oliver a maniac while he has had to make morally ambiguous decisions again and again, in some ways doing things that are even worse than what Oliver has done (looking at you Pipeline Prison). Honestly, Joe feels like a self-insert from the writers at times for how much he hates on Oliver. 
> 
> Given how Watson led a witch hunt against Oliver, who had been recognized by the president as a national hero, and how she threatened to drag William into it, it would not surprise me at all if Watson had turned out to have some vendetta against Oliver or just wanted him out of the way.
> 
> Dinah’s vendetta against Black Siren over Vincent always fell very flat for a variety of reasons. The first being she always sainted him up as a victim when he targeted Oliver just a year ago and dismissed civilians caught in the crossfire as collateral damage. And while I’ve only seen a handful of episodes from season six, from what I’ve heard, the double agent plot was the thinnest plot I’ve ever heard. Can anyone tell me if Vincent actually did anything to stop Diaz or James? Because it really doesn’t seem like he put much effort into stopping them. 
> 
> Black Siren could have been an interesting addition to the show, but the writers, in their continued vendetta against the Black Canary, did a lazily written redemption Arc that made Malcolm’s look compelling. And when that wasn’t going on, they were making her a cartoonish, one dimensional villain. It’s really hard to invest anything in her because she burned the main characters so many times. The only reason she was on the show in the first place was to appease the outrage over Laurel’s death without admitting that they were wrong to kill her off. 
> 
> Rene, in my opinion, is the most redeemable out of the recruits. While yes, he did betray Oliver, most of his bad decisions in season six seem to stem from desperation not to lose Zoe and then to protect her, which is understandable for anyone, he would not be the first parent in the Arrowverse to make a bad decision to protect his child. And unlike Dinah and Curtis, I feel Rene redeems himself in season seven, as he was the only one really pushing for them to make sure Oliver didn’t sacrifice himself for nothing. So while he deserves to be punished, he doesn’t deserve to die.

**Author's Note:**

> I had Diaz end up shooting Felicity because it is beyond ridiculous that Diaz didn’t kill or nearly kill Felicity in 7x01 when he had ample opportunity and the writers did their typical ‘X becomes an idiot so Felicity can be a badass’ BS.
> 
> Oliver having cameras in the lairs and loft was me attempting to give Oliver some of his brains back since he seems to have lost so much of it after season one and especially season two in order to prop up Felicity and make it seem like Team Arrow needed to be bigger than it should have been.
> 
> Thea may seem kind of ruthless here, but I think after witness Oliver’s mistreatment by Felicity, Diggle and the recruits, coupled with Oliver’s death, she’d probably act in a manner similar to this.


End file.
